Much of the flurry of criticism has been directed at the bill's primary architect, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, a Williamsburg Democrat who chairs the Assembly's housing committee. Mr. Lopez, a veteran of Albany politics, sought to increase affordability provisions beyond the bill passed by the City Council, including a large expansion of the area that requires affordable housing and a decrease in income requirements for low-income tenants. In order to convince the real estate industry and the Republican-controlled Senate to agree, Mr. Lopez said he needed to give up concessions, which included pushing back the date for the new legislation to take effect.But in ceding ground to the real estate industry, Mr. Lopez said he created an exception for the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, a move that has infuriated a base of affordable housing advocates who would likely have come out supporting the bill.
Development Tax Break Bill Faces Calls for Veto
No Land Grab points out that: "There's one point that I think most people are missing in this 421-a Ratner-Clause fiasco, that the exception allows Ratner to charge more rent from low-income tenants than other developers who qualify for the plan. That may be the most outrageous aspect of the entire deal."
Photo from Streetsblog
8 comments:
Looks like Silvercup West got their exemption in at 11th hour to join with Atlantic Yards. See Assembly bill 9293.
This is great for two reasons:
1. it undercuts the public support for massive development - which the dog-bone of 'affordable housing' was all about. Put in 30,000 in LIC as you remove 30,000 in Manhattan, right?
2. it puts less strain on the quality of life of New Yorkers: the more people, the lower the quality of life and greater the stress for New Yorkers already living here: What a concept! you read it here first folks! Another Crappy scoop!
oh but wait-- wait-- isn't Elliot Spitzer the great reformer? wasn't it time for a great change in Albany?
i'm not sure i'm reading all of #2s sarcasm i don't know that this scandal is really that good for the opposition. like almost the whole of Spitzer's grandstanding (yet near-meaningless) career, there may be outrage over this but it's mere window dressing. Bertha Lewis, for example, can play all self-righteous today while all of the underlying, larger malfeasances (including her being a dupe) continue as before.
wwib
Elliot Spitzer is two faced dog !
FACE #1: He first made "his bones" as a reformer only because he intended to run for governor ....and knew that image would garner him more votes !
FACE #2: Now that he's firmly seated in power....he kisses up to the real estate industry.... like all of the rest of our scum sucking politicos do !
Why do people tend to personalize issues? Its Bloomburg's fault! Its Spitzer's fault!
I have no love for any politician, but really, boys and girls, there are some more substantive issues here and elsewhere on the blog.
Sooner or later you have to stop blaming daddy and mommy and focus on the larger underlying factors in life.
Uhm...this wasn't Spitzer's doing. Anyone with common sense and literacy knows that. It was ENTIRELY VITO LOPEZ's doing...and yet Brooklyn keeps sending him back to Albany.
What are the larger underlying factors in life? Do tell.
Because Bloomberg & Spitzer are the captains of their ships , and as such, are responsible for ALL that occurs on deck !
The BUCK stops there !
Poster #5.....There's nothing "personal" intended in this form of criticism! It's about holding ALL of our "leaders" responsible !!!
Post a Comment